Teardrop Shadows
by JazzylovesTransformers
Summary: Putting my defences up; 'cause I don't want to fall in love; if I ever did that, I think I'd have a heart attack - Demi Lovato. She was an orphan. An outcast. She stirred trouble and she tried to get by. But when she makes the mistake of stealing a particular book, things take a dramatic turn. WARNING: Violence and sexual themes. RyouxOCxYami Bakura Artwork is not mine.
1. Prologue

Rain lashed at the closed window, leaving watery slash marks that bled down the transparent pane. A small child watched with awe, his coal hair falling in front of his eyes as he leaned forward to watch the torrential downpour hitting the pavement with such force that the water sprung back up a good few millimeters into the air. Vaguely, he wondered if it hurt the liquid, like it had hurt him when he had first fallen off his bike. Other people would probably call him silly for thinking such ridiculous things, but how did anyone truly know? Because something has no voice did that mean that it did not feel?

Rolling thunder disguised the sound of his parents arguing in the room opposite. A flash of lightning illuminated the silent streets, revealing a small silhouette darting down the sidewalk. What kind of person would be out in this kind of weather? Like the rain, he too watched that in awe, pressing his face against the window pane to gaze upon it until it traveled too far and disappeared from sight.

The sound of boots echoed through the dark alleyway as the black form sought refuge, though whether from the rain or an unidentified pursuer was not clear. Slinking into the shadows, it crouched on a narrow ledge between the alley wall and a dumpster, jamming itself into the crushing gap. Another flash of lightning revealed her feminine features, though she didn't look so feminine now as much as she did a drowned rat. The rain continued to pelt down from the dark clouds above, running in droplets down her face and falling off her nose. Her clothes were absolutely drenched and sticking to her in an uncomfortable manner.

_Why? Why must it always rain? _she snarled to herself, glaring at back of the rubbish bin.

She wasn't there for too long before she heard more voices shouting to one another, and sure enough the sources of those voices turned into the same alleyway she had. Instinctively she held her breath, chewing her bottom lip nervously as she heard their pace slow down. A stray thought belittled her for choosing to hide _behind _the dumpster- surely a less obvious choice would've been underneath? Screw her fear of gross smells, if this cost her dearly she was going to be pissed.

"We know you're here, little thief," one of the men growled, his voice reminding her of rocks grating against one another.

It made her skin crawl, and not in a way that was even remotely pleasant.

"Spread out, check down the other end," the first man instructed, his command dutifully followed by retreating footsteps.

_Good dog, _she remarked snidely, barely suppressing a snicker.

Her smartass attitude quickly dissipated, however, as her stomach twisted in on itself at the sound of the first man approaching her hiding spot. The moment seemed long-drawn out as he drew closer and ever closer, so close that a shadow fell over the wall behind her. _This is it, I'm caught, _she thought as the footsteps ceased, her heart hammering so hard it was a wonder it wasn't giving away her position. The man's hand scraped along the top of the dumpster, and she felt certain that he was only seconds away from pulling it away from the wall, ending the game once and for all. She closed her eyes tightly, ready to accept her fate...

To her surprise, rather than come down in a tumbling mess as the dumpster side was drawn away, instead the man's actions were followed by a hideous squealing noise. Fearfully popping one eye open, she could hardly contain her sigh of relief when she realised that he'd opened the lid of the dumpster, and must've been peering inside.

_Ew. As if, _she thought as the foul stench of the collected rubbish wafted towards her, seemingly only intensified by the rain.

Running footsteps returned to where the pair were-the girl crouched against the wall mere meters from death, and the man standing on the opposite side of the rubbish bin, mere meters from his goal. Her heart clenched as she felt her feet beginning to slide on the slippery ledge, threatening to give away her position once and for all.

"She's not there," the second man said, earning a furious growl from the first.

The beginning of her smug chuckle was startled to an abrupt halt as Rocky-voice-guy slammed the lid of the dumpster shut, causing her to give a small jump. Her foot slipped entirely off the ledge, and she let out a horrified cry as she slammed into the side of the dumpster, effectively rocking it and giving away her position._  
_

_Shit, shit, SHIT! No, no, please no, I was so close..._

Any hope that they were as blind as a badger and hadn't noticed the commotion disappeared as the dumpster was aggressively yanked away from the wall, one of the men roughly grabbing her arms and using them as leverage to drag her out from her hidey-hole. She began kicking and screaming, thrashing in her captor's arms and doing her best to claw, bite, hit any part of his body that came into range. They let out a noise of frustration, swiftly swallowed by a surprised squaw of pain as she slammed her heel into his foot. He fumbled her, and she was mere moments from breaking free of his grasp when a hard backhand to the left side of her face left her dazed.

_Idiot._ In her panic, she had forgotten about the second man.

The assault gave her captor enough time to regain control, restraining her arms again and kicking the back of her legs so that she fell to her knees. She hissed and spat every known curse word at them, doing her best to struggle but quickly finding that her strength was gravely outmatched. An underfed teenager was certainly no competition for a couple of buff young men.

Doing the only thing she could think of, she threw back her head and screamed at the top of her lungs,

"RAPE!"

"Silence you!" roared Rock-voice, this time punching her square in the stomach.

She choked on her own scream as the air was forcefully ejected from her lungs, doubling over in pain at the cheap shot. He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and hoisted her to eye level, leaving her feet dangling off the ground whilst she continued coughing and spluttering. The second man had released her hands, but in the back of her mind she could still feel him lurking some ways behind her, ready to step in if required.

"Where is it!" Rock-voice demanded in a thundering tone.

"Where's what?" she squealed, wincing at how pathetic she sounded, even to her own ears.

"Don't play dumb, the item you stole from us!"

"Let's be honest buddy, I've stolen a lot of items from you..."

Her snigger was cut short as the man slammed her against the brick wall of the alleyway, painfully knocking her head and the brief flash of confidence right out of her. She swore under her breath, her eyes beginning to well up from the pain, but she refused to shed them. No way would she give this fucker the satisfaction.

"THE BOOK!" he screamed, his face so close to her own that she wondered if it was the rain or his spit that had just landed in her eye.

"I threw it away, OK? It's worthless, no one wanted it."

"_Worthless?" _he snarled, his face radiating with pure anger, "That was more invaluable than a filthy street rat like yourself could ever know!"

He threw her across the alleyway, grazing her arms and knees along the slicked concrete. She collapsed into a heap, biting back a sharp hiss as the rain seeped into the torn skin and stung her fresh wounds. Anger knotted in her gut, sitting there like a coiled snake that was poised to strike. Only, she knew, due to an unfair advantage of its opponents, this snake would never get the chance to strike. The second man grabbed her by her hair and pulled her onto her hands and knees, facing Rock-voice.

The next blows came hard, fast, without warning. The first was a hard punch to the side of her face that sent her sprawling again, tasting concrete as she lay face down on the soaked ground. Kicks were the next thing to set in. Stomping kicks that seemed to come from all directions, feeling like a thousand men were planting boots into her sides instead of just two. She attempted to curl into the fetal position, but the boys would have none of that. Large hands pulled her apart, laying her on her back and one of them sitting on top of her to keep her from resuming the stance.

_Holy shit, I'm going to die, _she realised with a horrible sinking realisation.

Rock-voice glared down at her with pure spite, and lifted his boot. It crashed into her face with frightful force, causing her to cry out in a mixture of shock and pain. The tears were flowing freely now, there was no stopping them. All she saw was a fast-approaching boot, coming in for another blow.

And another blow.

And another blow.

And darkness.

* * *

**So I've been out of this writing game for a while, tell me if you liked it c:**


	2. Chapter 1

It was the same old routine every day.

Get up.

Get dressed.

Go for a walk.

Same time. Same streets. Same routine.

Every morning he would silently slide out of bed, chuck on the same slacks, shirt and faded jeans that he always wore for such an occasion, tiptoe past his son's room, and embark on a walk through the silent streets of Domino City. Occasionally he would top of his outfit with an old jacket, but seldom did he bother. Sometimes the cold brought him a sense of relief, a sense of being alive. Ever since that fateful accident, his morning walks served as the only thing in his life that brought a sense of normality to Horatio Bakura. They were the only times during his day where he could simply _be _without having to do anything. The only times in his life where fate was kind enough to give him a break.

Not today, though, of course.

He hadn't taken ten steps away from his apartment when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, an oddly dark mound lying in the middle of the alleyway that ran down the side of his apartment. He would be lying, like most of the other residents around these parts, if he said that he hadn't heard the commotion that had taken place the night before. Despite the roaring storm that had wrecked havoc on their city, the yelling and screaming had been clearly audible, though unintelligible.

Horatio had assumed it to be yet another drug addict "paying their dues" if you will to the local drug dealers, after they didn't fess up with the right amount of money in time. For that very reason he should have turned and walked the other way, but he didn't. Horatio had been renowned for his kind heart long since before he met his beautiful wife and was blessed with his two children. Walking away, leaving those in need behind, was something he found himself incapable of doing.

_Besides, _he assured himself, _even if I do just call an ambulance, they won't even be a problem for very long._

It was these words of encouragement that caused him to take those few fateful steps into the alleyway, cautiously crossing the still rain-slicked pavement to where the figure lay. Though the alley looked relatively empty, there was no ignoring the knot of apprehension that had twisted in his gut, and he glanced behind him frequently as if afraid of getting jumped from behind. As luck would have it, he reached the unfortunate soul without incident. However, much to his shock, that unfortunate soul was nowhere near the drug-hazy addict he was expecting.

"My God," he breathed in horror as he hurriedly crouched down at the girl's side, brushing away loose strands of hair that had fallen in the way.

Bits of dried blood clung to her hair and face, leaving a sticky stream that ran from her nose and across her cheekbone. Her attackers had also left a dark purple-blue bruise on her opposing cheek that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. Her clothes and hair were still soaked to the bone, clinging to her body like plastic wrap. His immediate reaction was to check her pulse, which to his great relief was still beating strongly beneath her cold flesh.

To think that for a second, he had been considering leaving this girl here.

He thought for a minute as to what he could do. Call an ambulance? There seemed to be no great emergency. Besides from the fact that she was unconscious she was still alive, wasn't she? Surely he wouldn't have any cause for concern until she'd at least been out for a few more hours, he didn't want to needlessly bother the local authorities. Find her home, then? But how? He'd never seen her round before, he didn't have a clue where she had come from. Perhaps he could search her for some kind of ID, but he didn't want to keep her lying in the cold any longer than necessarily possible. What could he do, then?

He took a moment to survey her small body, her fragile build and slim frame. It wouldn't take a great deal of effort for him to carry her back up to his apartment. At least there he could make sure she was in a comfortable state, rather than lying out here in the streets. His son would happily lend some of his clothes for her to use while her own dried out, Ryou had almost as sweet a heart as his old man's. And it would only be for a short period of time, just until she could tell them where she had come from so they could drop her back home.

Yes. That was an excellent idea.

Having made up his mind, Horatio scooped the girl's lithe form into his arms, and felt genuinely surprised at her weight... or lack thereof.

_"_Don't your parents feed you?" he muttered to no one in particular, knowing full well he wasn't going to get a response.

* * *

Ryou was awake when Horatio walked in the door, much to his surprise. After blindly fumbling with the doorknob for a few minutes, he had eventually managed to turn the damned thing and stepped into their humble apartment, finding his son sitting at the dining table and scoffing down some cereal. It was odd, he'd never known Ryou to get up this early.

His son's sleeping habits were the least of his concerns right now, though. He closed the door with the back of his foot, causing it to slam a little harder than he had intended. It evidently started Ryou out of whatever feeding frenzy he had been engaged in, as he looked up with a startled expression on his face. That quickly morphed to confusion and shock, however, when he saw the girl lying in Horatio's arms.

"Father, what happened?" he exclaimed, dropping his spoon with a noisy _clang._

Horatio didn't explain immediately. He didn't think he had the time to be dawdling. Rather, he set her down on the couch in the adjoined living room, feeling somewhat rushed despite the fact he didn't believe this to be a life or death situation. Ryou got up from his seat and approached the scene, standing beside his father and looking about as concerned as Horatio was.

"I'll explain soon enough, do you mind getting some of your clothes to change her into? Hers have been completely soaked through."

Ryou gave a quick nod and turned to run up the stairs, appearing to be eager to lend a hand where he could. Horatio also left the girl for a brief moment, fetching a couple of towels and a hot water bottle from their linen closet. It was a lucky thing he was scheduled in to work from home that day, otherwise who knew what he could have done with her. Certainly not just leave her in the alleyway, that was for sure.

By the time he had filled the water bottle, folded one of the towels around her pillow and wrapped the other around the hot water bottle and placed it near her feet, Ryou was already back holding a pair of his boxers and an oversized shirt. Now came the tricky part. Removing her clothing. Ryou would have to be mature enough to help him with this part, because it would be too difficult to do on his own. Undressing an unconscious person was hard enough on its own, but when those clothes were wet and sticking to her it just made it that much more complex.

"Put those down on the seat behind you and come here," Horatio ordered, gently lifting the top half of her body into a sitting position and situating himself behind her on the couch.

He put his hands on her shoulder blades to continue supporting her while Ryou did as he was told and came to his father's side, a light blush already creeping onto his face as he began to suspect what was coming next. Horatio had no time to worry about his son's bashful nature, however. The clothes needed to be removed before she got sick, or worse; hypothermia set in. Who knew how long she had been lying in that rain for? He couldn't take the risk.

"I need you to take her shirt off of her, alright?"

Ryou's blush intensified, but he nodded regardless and fingered the edges of her wet garment. Tentatively, he began to peel the material upwards and off her skin, getting redder and redder as more of her flesh was increasingly exposed. Horatio manoeuvred his hands out of the way when it was necessary, and had to bite back a laugh as Ryou's blush turned into a deep crimson once the shirt had been lifted above her chest. Though her bra thankfully protected her modesty, it was rather amusing to see Ryou get so flustered over a simple sight. Boy he would have a lot to learn when he got a girlfriend.

Despite the humour he found in the situation, Horatio still kept a serious and stern composure, gesturing for Ryou to get his shirt that seemed two sizes too big for her. Now that her bony body was in full view, the British father began to think that his earlier question concerning her parents feeding of her may not have ben entirely unwarranted. Her skin seemed to unnaturally cling to her bones just as her rain-soaked shirt had clung to her body, revealing the dips and dives between her ribs and the solid bumps that travelled down her spine. He didn't need to be a doctor to know that she looked underfed, and a concerned frown tugged at his eyebrows.

Was she one of those anorexic "if-I-can-pinch-it-I-can-lose-it" girls? He certainly hoped not, there didn't look to be much left of her to pinch.

Ryou did as he was told in a hurry, doing his best not to look at her as he slipped her arms into the appropriate holes and brought the shirt down over her head. It cascaded it's way down the rest of her body, hiding her skeletal body from sight and requiring no extra work on Ryou's behalf much to his relief. He'd been dreading it getting stuck on her breasts or something.

Horatio lay her back down and moved on to the next part- her jeans. It took him and Ryou a solid few minutes to remove the stubborn article of clothing, made more difficult by the fact that they seemed to be too small for her. Eventually, however, they managed, and the jeans were dropped next to the shirt on the floor and replaced by Ryou's boxer shorts. And even as the elastic band hugged her waistline, there was no missing the deep crevasses that ran down the side of her hips. Horatio thought he might have a serious discussion with her parents when they found them, whoever they were.

He next delved into her pockets, looking for some hint as to what her identity was- a phone, a wallet, anything. To his disappointment, and slight shock, he found nothing. Not even a receipt. Her pockets were completely bare, and he considered the idea that perhaps she had been mugged in that alleyway; robbed of everything on her. It was making him feel increasingly guilty about ever wanting to leave her alone and walk away under the premises he'd assumed her an addict. Who would ever think an innocent girl like her deserved being attacked?

After throwing the clothes into their hot water cupboard, he returned to the kitchen where Ryou was playing with his cereal absent-mindedly. Horatio joined him at the dining table, though he had no food of his own. The father rubbed his brow tiredly, slightly disappointed that he still had no definite answers as to who this girl was and what she had been doing in an alleyway in the middle of a storm. He hadn't realised that Ryou had made him a cup of tea in his absence until the albino pushed it towards him, managing to draw a smile from the tired old man's face.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" Ryou asked, watching him intently over the table. "Who is she?"

Horatio exhaled slowly, taking a sip from his tea before deciding to answer his son's questions. Questions he wished he knew the definite answers too.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, placing the cup back down as he spoke, "I found her in the alleyway this morning, I thought she was just some unfortunate fellow who'd had a mishap with the local dealers but now it's looking more likely that perhaps she was mugged on the way home. Only God knows what she was doing out in the middle of this weather, though."

"Do you think she'll be alright?"

"Time will tell. I'm staying home today, so if she's not awake by the afternoon I'll take her in to the local hospital and get her checked out. Hopefully they can find out who she is while she's there."

Ryou nodded, redirecting his gaze back down at his cereal, which he continued to aimlessly stab. Horatio was in no mood to tell him off for playing with his food, but not for the first time he wondered what was going on in that head of his. He was quite used to reading people, many people these days were surprisingly transparent, but Ryou had always been a tough nut to crack. His thoughts were often kept to himself, his opinions rarely expressed. In every sense, he was a closed book that bound by iron chai-

Horatio's thoughts were cut off by a muffled gasp, and he turned in his seat to see the girl staring at them with wide eyes.


End file.
